Vacant and Abandoned Properties: Turning Liabilities Into Assets The absence of universal definitions of vacancy and abandonment complicates efforts to assess the number of vacant and abandoned properties nationally. Vacant and abandoned properties are linked to increased rates of crime…Read more ›

Once a property sits vacant for three or four years, people sometimes become accustomed to an eyesore in the neighborhood. They have their own problems to deal with, after all. Eventually the city will come along and raze it…right? Not…Read more ›

In this FAQ video, Director of IT and Research, Michael Schramm explains that the Cuyahoga Land Bank has an in-house database called the Property Profile System (PPS) that contains current information on all properties in its inventory. This system is…Read more ›

On February 28th, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) announced that the Cuyahoga Land Bank and 10 other Ohio land banks would share $50 million in federal funds from the U.S. Treasury for the demolition of vacant and abandoned one…Read more ›

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A study released this week by the non-profit Thriving Communities Institute concludes that the epidemic of foreclosure, abandonment and blight in Cleveland and five inner-ring suburbs is responsible for a nearly $45 million shift in the tax burden to…Read more ›

Some people think wejust like to knock down houses,” said William (“Bill”) Whitney, chief operating officer of the Cuyahoga Land Bank. “But we are here to get rid of bad apples and bad properties. The last thing any of us…Read more ›

All the signs in the housing market seem to be pointing the right way, except the amount of time loans are spending in the foreclosure process. Foreclosure fast-tracks for vacant homes in foreclosure may help reverse that trend. In recent…Read more ›

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To get evicted through foreclosure is dispiriting enough. But to lose your house or apartment through foreclosure when you merely rented – and you paid your rent on time – ought to be permanently illegal, say Congress…Read more ›

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) – Slavic Village Recovery (SVR) says two completely renovated properties have been sold and are homes to proud families on E 54th Street. With more homes currently under construction and a group of eager buyers, SVR anticipates welcoming…Read more ›

Cities in Northeast Ohio are getting about $27 million to help demolish abandon homes in their communities. Canton was given more than $4 million of the money from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s “Hardest Hit” fund. Assistant City Council Majority…Read more ›

It is a cold day in Ohio – and maybe the netherworld – when government so clearly works for the common good. It happened on Friday – high teens, low 20s – for certain, when the Ohio Housing Finance Agency,…Read more ›

Did Oswald act alone? Were there accomplices? Was it the CIA, Cuba, the Russian KGB? Fifty years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, these questions continue to perplex baby boomers and intrigue younger generations. Our own Cuyahoga County…Read more ›

In the five years since the Cuyahoga Land Bank was created to address the problem of vacant, abandoned properties across Cuyahoga County, the nonprofit agency has demolished about 2,000 blighted properties and facilitated the rehabilitation of approximately 750. It’s…Read more ›

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has announced that $10,118,750 in Hardest Hit Funds (HHF) have been awarded to Cuyahoga County to demolish vacant and abandoned properties. In August 2013, the U.S. Department of the Treasury approved a request…Read more ›

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Purple Heart homes will hold a Mission Complete Ceremony to welcome U.S. Army veteran Demond Taylor and his wife Amber to their new renovated home on Avondale Road in South Euclid on March 1 at St.…Read more ›

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cuyahoga County will receive the largest portion of $49.5 million in federal money going to Ohio counties for the demolition of vacant or blighted homes. The Cuyahoga County Land Bank will receive $10.1 million of the state’s…Read more ›

The Cuyahoga Land Bank currently has 665 vacant lots in its inventory. And just this week we received great press coverage by The Plain Dealer on our Side Lot Program! We want to see vacant lots bloom as community gardens,…Read more ›